title: Pattern of presentation and management of ca breast in developing countries. There is a lot to do.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the pattern of presentation, severity, factors responsible for delayed presentation and outcome of breast cancer in patients presenting to a teaching hospital of Jamshoro.
  
  
  METHODS
  It's a prospective descriptive study of 103 malignant breast lumps treated at a tertiary care teaching hospital over a period of 8 years. All patients were admitted through Outpatients department and were thoroughly examined and investigated. Treatment offered was based on triple assessment and ranged from lumpectomy to toilet mastectomy depending upon the stage of disease. The variables studied were recorded on a proforma and analyzed on SPSS version 12 for measuring frequencies and using Chi square test where applicable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the study population was 39.17 +/- 6.019 years and a range of 22 to 54 years. The frequency of advanced malignancy was alarmingly high in younger patients. Intra- ductal carcinoma was the commonest tumour in 93 (90%) patients, while the remaining included lobular (07) and Paget's disease (03). The high figures of advanced disease at presentation is attributed to lack of knowledge and education, poverty and local customs of women not exposing themselves even to the physicians. In addition, there is a substantial delay in the referral of patients from under privileged, remote areas where patients continue to receive symptomatic treatment till such time that disease becomes incurable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Advanced breast disease is common in younger patients belonging to underprivileged and remote rural areas. Great efforts are required to educate people so as to make early diagnosis possible
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Sindh.
authors.forename: Arshad Mehmood
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Rafique
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pathan
authors.forename: Noshad Ahmed
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.forename: Jawaid Naeem
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Khamiso Altaf Hussain
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Talpur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003469:Culture; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult